National Fire Protection Association

Overview

Mission

Advocate for the elimination of death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards.

What it reported doing in 2024

Standards development - a major focus of the association is the development, publication, and dissemination of timely consensus codes and standards. Adoption, use, and enforcement of these documents serve to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other hazards in all aspects of contemporary activity. Nfpa standards are developed by about 264 committees, each of which represents a balance of affected interests.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The nonprofit carried out 99% of its reported program work directly.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
041653090
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Headquarters
Quincy, MA, USA
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Services

Official website

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The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 56.9%; rating input score 57
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
  • Grant itemization coverage: 97.3%; rating input score 97; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Public monitoring controls: Limited
  • Public policy transparency: Limited
  • Public financial transparency: Limited
  • Impact reporting controls: Limited
  • Public relationship transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Public governance controls: Limited
  • Zakat policy transparency: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 27.6%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Operating reserve ratio: 5.22; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.6%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.6% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 56.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 18 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 7 filed program accomplishments · $47.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.3M · 31 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 41 of 42 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 14 annual filings from 2010 to 2024
  • Money network: 14 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 7 filed related-organization links